today

Some days just rush by
and others
they are slow
and sometimes there is
loveliness in those slow days
not a dragging by
but time spent sitting
with a sweet babe on my lap
he is sleepy and wants to nurse
all
day
long
and instead of rushing
around
trying to accomplish
this or that
that or this
i get to sit
and marvel
at these slow days
at the wonder of being
being a mama
the beauty of my babe
and
slowly
enjoy
the day.

Magic

There is Magic in these moments, my days are quickly passing by....


We have settled into some nice predictable days here....I wouldn't say a schedule...I am not a schedule type Mama at all. But Ren is sleeping for 6 to 8 hours a night, breastfeeding and taking his naps during the day well....
Our days go something like this
7-7:30am wake up, diaper change, then we head to the floor for play time
8:30-45ish nurses and down for naps
10:30ish up from naps, diaper change, get dressed for the day and off to do errands
between 12 and 1; nurses, has playtime then down for naps
around 3-3:30 up from naps, diaper change and then more errands or playtime, reading, helping (watching) mama clean, etc...
by 5pm usually nursing, then more playtime, helping Mama or playing with Daddy
diaper change
7pm nursing , quiet play, reading
8pm bathtime
massage, PJ's, books, prayers, nursing
Ren falls asleep between 9 and 10pm and sleeps until between 4 or 6am, nurses and goes back to sleep.
So this Mama can't complain too much. I love these days...seems like there is magic in the air, Ren's giggles, sighs, babbles and sweet baby snuggles are the best! I knew that I would love being a Mama....but I had no idea the depth of this...of these magic days of love.....
Ren and his new Snuggle Bunny from Nova Naturals, I love their stuff and after looking through their catalog....so many things to buy for Ren as he grows and discovers the world around him.

I am planning on introducing Ren to solids between his 6th and 7th month and am reading (Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron) and preparing to start making his food. I am excited about this transition that is coming up but am not looking forward to the change in poo....yuck!

Speaking of poo...lol..the cloth diapers are still going fabulous...I wash every other day some times every third day and the clothing line outside is a huge time saver. None of the things that I stressed about (getting build up, using the wrong detergent, the diapers retaining smell) have happened and I am loving the Organic Bum Genuis more than I initially thought that I would. They are super absorbent, less bulky and I do not have to stuff them. Although they take longer to dry then the others hanging them outside eliminates that issue altogether.

We already talk of adding to our family..and as much as I want to I know that I am not ready just yet.....and still exclusively breast feeding helps me not stress too much about getting pregnant as my chances are pretty low. If we do, we do...I just don't want to take anytime away from Ren right now. I know that time is fleeting and I will never have this time again...the time of only one child to give my time too. I love the time I get to spend with Ren and the magic of each and every day that we have.

One Year Later!

Fourth of July 2008 was a weird one....Hubby had recently returned from Iraq (to which I was abundantly grateful), we were recovering emotionally from a failed adoption ((hubby was still in Iraq) I had that sweet baby for 5 days...home from the hospital...when the birth-mother changed her mind), we were on infertility meds yet again (for the umpteenth time in 5 years) and my cycle had just started which meant that we were not pregnant once again. I was missing my family and overwhelmed with the prospects/decisions in front of us. Do we continue fertility meds? Do we do another IUI procedure? Do we stop "trying" all together? Do we continue our adoption paperwork and try to adopt again? Do we just stop everything? We wanted to start our little family so much. There we were sitting in this big open field, waiting for an awesome fireworks display....kids running all around us...and me tears running down trying to take it all in and sending up silent prayers to God...asking for a sweet baby...
And here we are one year later...July 2008 was the month that we conceived Ren...he is now 3 1/2 months old and we could not imagine our lives with out this little miracle boy. God saw my tears and answered my prayers!
Here we are, that same field, exactly one year later! God is so wonderful to us!!!

whew....

Well, it sure has been a while...we have been quite busy here in our little Paradise...Ren is fully cloth diapered now...we are loving the Bum Genius 3.0 diapers....I love the colors too! We end up washing diapers every other day and Hubs has hung a laundry line for me so these little babes are hanging dry in my backyard every other day.
Ren is 13 weeks now....my baby is 3 months old! Time is just flying by. We have traveled quite a bit since the last 2 weeks of May....we have made trips to Paris, TX; Prattville, AL; Columbia, SC; Greenville SC; Rutherfordton, NC; Atlantic Beach, NC and next week San Antonio, TX. I think that will be the last trip (aside from some weekend trips back to Paris) for quite a while. Ren has traveled more in his first 3 months than most little ones I know....I'm not sure if that makes us crazy or just busy on the go people.
We have settled into a bit of a routine around here (even with all the traveling) and Ren is sleeping through the night (most nights). I am still adjusting to time management and getting house keeping done. I am hoping to get some of the furniture in the house re-arranged to make the spaces seem bigger, less cluttered and house keeping a little easier.
We are still exclusively breast feeding...something that has gotten much easier and a lot less stressful as the weeks have gone by. Reading books, singing songs, helping me with the dishes (you know watching from the bouncy chair), learning to cook and fold laundry...hahaha....are all things that are keeping Ren and I very busy....and then there are; play dates, lunches with Daddy and friends, grocery shopping and running errands....Ren is learning a lot!
I love watching Ren discover the world around him and can't wait to show him more and more!
Oh...and I got the new iPhone! Very exciting...mucho pictures and an awesome app called Baby Brain that is helping me track Ren's sleep habits and times, diapers and nursing times.
We are just scooting along.....excited about the 4th of July celebrations this weekend and fireworks!
I hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July!

7 Quick Ones

1.
If I could take the roof off and shake everything out of my house (into neat organized piles of course) so that I could reorganize and place what I want/need where I want/need it and store or get rid of the rest. I so want to reorganize my house and with a 10 week old baby...well....one step at a time.

2.
Holidays are wonderful..coming back from the holidays to the pile of laundry and a house that was left in a hurry because of circumstances outside of our control...not so wonderful. I wanted to leave with everything sparkly clean....not so much this go around.

3.
Communication...Communication...Communication...seems as though every aspect of life (personal and spiritual) bode well when there is proper communication going on. Aurgh not looking forward to a couple communications that will hopefully set everything right.

4.
Routine....that's what I am attempting to settle into with Ren, he is sleeping pretty well at night for the most part (except last night)...now to get his day napping, playing, eating....into a predictable routine.

5.
We are officially in all cloth diapers as of today! I was waiting for Ren to be big enough for the Bum Genius 3.0 to fit him properly...no leaks please...and now that we are home from our long summer holiday and I have (know that I have) a washer and dryer (the place we stayed at the beach said that there was a washer/dryer in the room...it was on the 1st floor (we were on the 3rd) and it cost $3 per load) glad we ended up using disposables, I was going to use cloth).

6.
We are doing salads and grilling for dinners this summer, trying to keep everything as light as possible....hubby complains about weight gain (just the normal "your life has now changed" there is a baby and wifey is not cooking as much and we have been out of any normal routine...weight gain) and I am pretty much what I weighed before getting pregnant minus a few pounds and would like to keep it off as well as lose some more.

7.
I was hoping that we would get an assignment and get to move this summer/fall....looks like we may be staying here till next summer....I was hoping to move...plus it would help me reorganize the house...LOL

Check out Jen she hosts & Quick Takes Friday!

Nili

home from the summer holiday...

home from holiday...check
never wanting to do a long drive across the country with an infant again...check
mail gone through...check
bills paid...check
grocery shopping finished...check
car at dealership getting checked out...check (thank goodness for warranties)
crying babe nursed...check
that same babe down for nap...check

now to...
put away groceries
sort laundry
process laundry
clean bathrooms
clean kitchen
clean floors
organize guest room/study
organize coat closet
purge house of non-needed stuff
organize house
modify the babes schedule for better naps, playing, eating and sleeping
bathe dog
download holiday pics

and the list goes on and on....

lullaby...

I find myself singing to Ren a song my Mom sang and I am almost certain each of my sisters have sung to their little ones. It is not one of the classic lullabies but I love the song...

Acres of Diamonds
words & music by Arthur Smith

Acres of diamonds, mountains of gold,
Rivers of silver, jewels untold;
All these together, wouldn't buy you or me
Peace when we're sleeping or a conscience that's free.
A heart that's contented, a satisfied mind,
These are the treasures, money can't buy;
If you have Jesus, there's more wealth in your soul,
Than acres of diamonds, mountains of gold

Each time I sing it to Ren I am reminded that there is nothing like having Jesus in your heart. There is nothing better than peace when we are sleeping, a free conscience, a content heart and a mind that is satisfied. I feel like this song is a prayer of sorts also that I am praying over Ren, that he will know and have a personal relationship with Jesus and that he will have all of the things that this song tells us about too.

Are there any special lullabies that you sing/have sung to your little ones?